Milestones

Immigrated to America from the Philippines at the age of 12; his parents sent him on a plane with a coyote (or, illegal smuggler); to go live with his grandparents in Northern California.

He didn’t realize he was in the country illegally until he attempted to get a driver’s license at age 16 and realized he didn’t have the correct paperwork.

One of his teachers introduced him to journalism and he began interning at a local paper called the Mountain View Voice; after that, he got an entry-level job at the San Francisco Chronicle.

Despite his lack of papers, he managed to get through college at San Francisco State University, majoring in political science and Black Studies.

His contributions to the Washington Post’s coverage of the Virginia Tech shooting won him and his colleagues the 2008 Pulitzer Prize for Breaking News Reporting.

But as he rose through the ranks of the world of journalism, he always felt like he was running from something; he ultimately decided to pen a piece called “My Life as an Undocumented Immigrant.”

His story was widely covered by national news outlets, as he was one of the most high-profile people ever to publicly come out as an undocumented citizen.

Decided to found Define American—a nonprofit built around sharing immigrant stories—so he could “take immigration out the box people put it in, make it accessible, and make it human.”

Keep following my journey

Education

High School

BachelorPolitical Science and Government, GeneralSan Francisco State University

BachelorAfrican-American/Black StudiesSan Francisco State University

Career

Journalist / Activist / Founder

I lead a non-profit organization that seeks to elevate the conversation around immigration and citizenship in America.

Career Roadmap

My work combines:

My work combines:

Journalism

Non-Profit Organizations

Communicating / Sharing Stories

Day to Day

On a day-to-day basis, I am a journalist. As an activist, I am dedicated to humanizing the struggle of immigrants in the U.S., undocumented immigrants in particular. I see it as my journalistic duty to report the facts about immigration.

Skills & Qualities Beyond School

A huge skill to have as a journalist is empathy. You have to be open and curious about everything and everyone. Improve your writing skills.

Advice for Getting Started

Here's the first step for college students

Lead with your heart and listen. Claim your space and know your worth.

Hurdles

The Noise I Shed

From Society in General:

"How dare you?! Get out of here you illegal person you don't belong. "

Since I am so open about being an undocumented immigrant, the discouragement I receive tends to be more personal and hurtful. I decided to declare my independence from the expectations that people had about me and stop being afraid of them. I had to stop being afraid in order to regain my own power.

Challenges I Overcame

First-Generation Immigrant

First-Generation Immigrant

Immigrated to America from the Philippines at the age of 12; my parents sent me on a plane with a coyote to go live with my grandparents in Northern California. I came out as an undocumented immigrant in the New York Times.

Racial Discrimination

Racial Discrimination

I get a lot of hate mail for being outspoken about my immigration status. People tend to judge you without really knowing you. It is hurtful and can get really personal.

LGBT

LGBT

Growing up, there was no outlet for sharing as we have now with social media. I had internalized a kind of self-loathing about being gay. I was so concerned with being an undocumented immigrant that it took a long time to liberate myself from shame.